Drying-stove.



R. H. WAINFORD.

DRYING STOVE.

I APPLICATION FILED SEPT-4.1917. 1,289,976.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHE INVE/VTUR APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4.1917- R. H. WAINFORD.

DRYING STOVE.

Patented Dec. 31,1918.

1,289,976.- I a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M F \I f I I I I I I ALI T, 1 ii if K I: I 'I II I A J L I I I l l I l lI 52,-: 5 Z0 Z0 I [.9 Q

LL! I I I I I I I l I I I lfi o [70 Lo 0 [if H B WZW- OR/VEY R. H.WAINFORD.

DRYING STOVE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4. 1911.

' Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

'3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- s m. S 314 E I Z v m/vE/vrm RICHARD HANBURY WAINFORD,OF STOKE-UPON-TRENT, ENGLAND.

DRYING-STOVE.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918'.

Application filed September 4, 1917. Serial No. 189,542.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD HANBURY WAINFORma subject of the UnitedKingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Stoke-upon-Trent,county of Stafford, Eng land, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Drying-Stoves, of which the following is a pecification.

My improvement relates to drying-stoves for pottery ware and has for itsobject the production of a compact, eificient drying apparatus capableof simultaneously drying considerable quantities of ware in process ofmanufacture and inducing an improved sanitary condition of the room inwhich it is installed and operating.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a diagrammatic vertical mid-sectional view of my invention;Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic vertical crosssectional view of the same, takenon the line ww in Fig. 1, looking from left to right; Fig. 3 is adiagrammatic top view of the same, taken on the line 3 in Fig. 1; Fig. 4is an end view of a grou of the wareboards and a section of sproc etchain and the device connecting said group; of boards with said sprocketchain; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6in an enlarged end elevation of the group of ware boards shown in Fig. 4and the yoke by which they are suspended from the sprocket chain; Fig. 7is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 6, drawn tosimilar scale and disclosing in detail the connection thereof with alink of the sprocket chain;'Fig. 8-is a plan view of a portion of theconstruction shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 9

is a horizontal sectional view of the yoke connecting a group of theware-boards with the sprocket chain.

My apparatus is inclosed in a casing 1, made preferably of wood, andhaving transverse openings 2, 3 on its opposite sides, which may beclosed by slides 1, 5, respectively. The top and sides of the casing 1are preferably formed of two walls having an air space 6 between them,as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. On the outside of. the casing 1 and atthe lower edges of the openings 2, 3, are placed outwardly-extendingshelves 7, 8 to receive the ware before being placed in and after beingwithdrawn from the stove. lVithin the stove are fixed sprocket wheels 9,10.

All of the upper sprocket wheels 9 are arranged to turn upon pintles 11firmly fixed to the side walls of the casing 1. The lower pairs ofsprocket wheels 10 are fixed upon axles 12 (see Fig. 2) journaled in theside walls of the casing; and one pair of said sprocket wheels 10 nextto one of the sides of the stove are fixed upon an axle 12 which extendsthrough the wall of the casing and has mounted upon its outer end theworm-gear 13 which is actuated by the worm 14 driven by any suitablemotor. Two endless sprocket chains 15, 16 embrace respectively, all .thesprocket wheels 9 and 10 next the two sides of the stove. Upon this pairof sprocket chains are suspended the ware boards in the manner now to bedescribed. These wareboards 17 are preferably disposed in groups ofthree and are formed of slats of. wood lying parallel to each other withintervening spaces for the passage therethrough of heated air. Theseslats are firmly connected with each other by transverse bolts 18, sospaced apart as to afford rigidity to the boards. The bolts 18 at therespective ends of the boards 17 are passed through pairs of dependingbraces 19, preferably of iron. To prevent longitudinal way, the boardsof each group are made of different lengths, decreasing from top tobottom boards, and the connecting braces 19 are deflected toward eachother from top to bottom, as shown in Fig. 5. Each pair of braces 19 areconnected at their upper ends by the metal strap or yoke 20 by rivets21; and each of said yokes has firmly fixed upon it a metal spindle 22which forms a connection between two links 23, 24 of the adjacentsprocket chain 15 or 16 and serves to swingingly suspend its connectedgroup of ware-boards from such chains. These groups of ware boards arethus connected with the sprocket chains 15, 16 in as close proximity toeach other as will permit of their passing each other without mutualcontact in their prescribed course of movement throughout the stove, asindicated in Fig. 1; and owing to the manner in which they are connectedwith the sprocket chains 15, 16, they are readily passed by all thesprocket wheels 9, 10, there being no axle between the sprocket wheels9, 9 to obstruct their passage between said wheels, which are ofcomparatively small diameter, while the groups of boards swing and passbelowthe N axles connecting each pair of sprocket wheels 10! and clearthe floor of the stove.

By the construction thus far described I am enabled to pass a largequantity of ware at one time througha stove of minimum dimensions, for,as will readily be observed, the screw 1% operates to move the wareboards quite lowly over their prescribed course and the ware on itsmolds may be placed closely upon the boards as they pass upwardly by theopening 2, and removed therefrom as the boards pass downwardly by theopening 3. To heat and dry the ware while passing through the stove Iprovide radiators consisting of a plurality of small steam pipes 25disposed horizontally and transversely of the bottom of the stove in ashallow'chamber formed in a concrete foundation 26 for the stove to restupon. These radiators rest upon metal bars 27 spanning the spaces 28into which air is admitted from the room in which the stove is placedand passes between the pipes 25 and up through the interior of thestove. To properly and fully utilize the heated air passing thus intothe stove, ll provide the transverse vertical partitions 29 whichsubstantially divide the interior of the stove into a series ofcompartments and induce an approximate equalization of the heatthroughout the interior of the stove; and this object is aided by theradiators 30 placed in the two end compartments which are not directlyover the radiators 25 and the temperature in which is apt to be reducedwhen outside air enters the compartmentsthrough the openings 2, 3.

To induce and regulate currents of heated air within the stove and toprevent its egress into the work room where the stove is installed tothe injury of the health of the operatives, I have provided pipes 31which pass transversely across the upper part of the stove and outthrough a side-wall thereof and open into the large ventilating pipe 32.See Figs. 2 and 3. The pipes 31 have series of openings 33 in theirlower sides and are provided with dampers 34 whereby the draft throughsaid pipes may be regulated at will. The large pipe 32 extends to andthrough the outer wall of the building and is preferably provided at itsdischarge end with a fan wheel or other device (not shown) for forciblydrawing the moisture-laden air from the stove and discharging it outsideof the building.

As the placing of the ware on the ware boards through the opening 2 andits withdrawal therefrom through the opening 3 causes the shedding ofsmall particles of clay or dust from the ware boards, I have providedopenings in the side walls closed by doors 35, 36, through which theaccumulations of such dust may be cleared from time to time.

From the foregoing description the opera- .derstood tobe as follows.

ea ers tion of the drying stove will be readily un- The worm 14 beingrotated turns the pair of sprocket wheels mounted on the shaft carryingthe worm gear 13 and the two sprocket chains carrying the Ware boardsare set in motion. The mololer or jiggerman, whose station is by theopening 2'in the stove casing, fills the boards with molds carrying theformed ware as they slowly pass upward by said opening 2, ample timebeing had for such purpose owing to the slow motion of the boards. Thisprocess is continued until the boards filled with molded ware reach theopening 3 on the opposite side of the stove, through which it is removedand taken to the green room for further drying, and this process may becontinued indefinitely. While the wet ware is passing through the stoveit is exposed to the heated currents of air passing upward through theseveral compartments and such air becoming moisture laden is drawn outof the stove and discharged through the ventilating pipes into 1. In adrying-stove the combination of 7 two series of sprocket wheels,respectively located in the upper and lower parts of the stove;continuous sprocket chains embracing said sprocket wheels; a pluralityof ware boards having end connections with each of said sprocket chains;means for actuating said sprocket chains; a series of lateral partitionsintervening between the ascending and descending series of ware boards;means for passing currents of heated air upwardly between saidpartitions and means for exhausting the air from the upper part of thestove.

2. In a drying-stove, the combination of two series of sprocket wheelslocated near the sides of the upper part of the stove and supported uponpintles projecting inwardly from said sides; two series of sprocketwheels located near the sides .of the lower portion of the stove; twosprocket chains embracing, respectively, all the sprocket wheels on oneside of said stove; means for actuating said sprocket chains; groups ofware boards swingingly supported upon said sprocket chains by pintlesentering links of said chains; vertical transverse partitions betweenthe upward and downward courses of said sprocket chains, and means forcreating currents of heated air between said partitions, and means forexhausting said air from the upper part of said stove.

3. In a drying stove, a group of ware boards spaced apart for thereception of ware and united at their respective ends by pairs of bracesconverging toward each other series of sprocket wheels embraced by saidfrom their tops toward their lower ends, in sprocket chains, and meansfor actuating combination with ayoke uniting each pair said sprocketchains.

of braces at their upper ends; a spindle ex- RICHARD HANBURI WAINFORD.

5 tending outwardly from each of said yokes Witnesses:

and forming a connection between two links JOHN R. D. Bowen, of asprocket chain; two sprocket chains and M. A. KRAMER.

